DoH publishes vCJD reports

The Department of Health (DoH) has announced the publication of two new reports regarding variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) as part of continuing efforts to control the risks relating to the condition.

Produced by the vCJD Clinical Governance Advisory Group, the first report calls for the standardisation of care for patients at risk of vCJD through the establishment of patient-focused clinical governance arrangements.

The second report, commissioned by the Health Protection Agency, explored the issues surrounding the potential introduction of a vCJD test for blood donors, exploring the necessary level of accuracy among other concerns.

Caroline Flint, public health minister, said: “We continue to monitor all aspects of vCJD very carefully and it is timely to review support arrangements for those individuals at risk of developing the disease.”

She added that while current support arrangements were functioning adequately, it was important that these procedures be standardised nationwide, while there were a number of practical and ethical issues relating to a vCJD test for blood donors.

Last December, the DoH announced the publication of the 14th annual report of the National CJD Surveillance Unit, reporting 153 deaths from probable or definite vCJD in the country, with six cases of infected patients alive in the UK as of the end of 2005.